The winters in Michigan are long and cold and this year is no exception. It’s regularly hit 0 degrees and snow has been covering the ground since the beginning of December. All this cold and dreary weather leads to cabin fever and the need to escape it. We were lucky enough to visit the Mountain Grand Lodge and Spa and Avalanche Bay Waterpark in Boyne Mountain Michigan with our good friends and take a mini-vacation to “escape” the cold and have some water slide and pool time fun!

It’s about a 4 hour drive for us so we jot out on a Friday evening and were there just before midnight, letting the girls sleep almost the entire way. I was so happy to see the gorgeous exterior of the resort when we pulled up. Isn’t it beautiful?!

The Mountain Grand Lodge Resort is set right on the beautiful Boyne Mountain Ski Resort overlooking the ski and snowboarding hills. It’s quite a gorgeous view!

We stayed in a Salzburg Suite where there was a full kitchen, a living area with a gorgeous view and 3 bedrooms – 2 larger bedrooms with cozy beds and TV’s and an adorable bunk chalet for the girls. Check out this super cute chalet –

The girls had a blast in their own private room. It even had it’s own TV so they could enjoy a bit of some cartoons on their own.

The bedrooms were decorated nicely and the beds were very cozy, we all slept very nicely during our 2-night stay. After all the fun we had we slept like logs in the comfortable beds.

While you can choose to enjoy the outdoor winter activities like skiing, snowboarding and sledding we were there to escape the cold and hit the Avalanche Bay Indoor Waterpark!

Avalanche Bay Waterpark is located right next to the Mountain Grand Lodge and Spa. You do have to take a few steps outside to get from one building to another but it’s literally like a 10 step walk, though, a nice heated tunnel would be a nice touch 🙂 (NOTE: Silly us, come to find out there is a heated tunnel on the second floor! LOL! Oh, well, it was a fun adventure going out into the cold and back into the comforts of the hotel. Next time, we’ll be smart and use the tunnel though.)

The waterpark is packed with fun! The 88,000 square foot mega-park features water fun for all ages including five fun filled water slides, a shallow children’s pool for the little ones, a wet climbing wall for the adventurous, an activity pool to shoot some hoops, a lazy river to take a float, two inviting hot tubs, the raging wall of water from Splasherhorn Mountain, and so much more!

Pinky took one ride down the Super-G slide once and didn’t like the water splashing in her face at the end and was done. Too funny! So, Daddy Digger and I took turns on the slides ourselves with U while the younger kiddos stayed in the kiddie pool, our friends’ older daughter who was all about the bigger slides.

I loved the Vertigo slide and the Downhill Mat Racer slides. The Vertigo slide is quite the roller coaster of a water slide and then you hit a giant bowl where you fall down the hole and into the lazy river. The Downhill Mat Race was also super fun, you race your friends down to the finish line. U and I raced a few times and then spent some time in the Blizzard Bay playing basketball and climbing the “icebergs”.

The husbands both took a ride on the new The Big Couloir Slide. The Big Couloir’s ride begins in a launch capsule, with a trap door dropping away and propelling riders into an enclosed tunnel. Along the way, they travel with G-force at speeds up to 38 feet per second before slowing with a splash.

After our day at Avalanche Bay Waterpark we headed back to our room for a little rest and made some dinner. The Salazar Suite had a full kitchen with all the utensils, plates and silverware so we were able to visit the local grocery store and make our own food during our stay.

After some rest and dinner we headed down to the arcade and played a few games with the girls. We also stopped by The Mountain Grand Lodge and Spa pool which has an indoor and an outdoor section for those willing to swim the warm waters outside beside the chilly snowy mountain.

We had a wonderful time at The Mountain Grand Lodge and Spa and Avalanche Bay Waterpark. It’s a great place for the entire family to spend a few days to hit the slopes or the pool. It was a wonderful escape from all the cold to be able to get in our swimsuits and splash around, it really helped ease the cabin fever.

There is also a full service spa, Solace Spa, onsite for those looking for a nice massage or beauty treatment.

If your looking for a great place to go with your family this winter check out the Mountain Grand Lodge and Avalanche Bay Waterpark and make your reservations at Boyne Mountain Resort.

For all the latest news and updates connect with Boyne Mountain on Facebook.

We were given accommodations and waterpark passes to facilitate this post. All thoughts and opinions, as always, are my own.

This looks like a great place for the family to escape to for a break. I love that there is something for every one. The The Big Couloir Slide looks like so much fun! I could see all of us doing that over and over.